With conventional electrostatic photographic image-forming devices such as laser printers, the photosensitive drum of a transfer unit is uniformly charged, and the surface of the photosensitive drum is then irradiated with a light beam emitted from a light generator including a laser diode or the like, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image, whereupon the electrostatic latent image is visualized using developer. Subsequently, the developer is then transferred onto recording paper passing between a transfer roller and the photosensitive drum of the transfer unit, and the recording paper is then passed between a press roller and a heating roller in a fixing unit to fix the developer image onto the recording paper.
A guide member that guides the recording paper is provided between the fixing unit and transfer unit as described in JP patent application publication no. H6-314005. The guide member attracts the recording paper subsequent to transfer onto the guide member side from the side of the non-image-forming surface by electrostatic adsorption in order to reliably transport the material. The guide member has a grounded conductive member formed from a metal plate or the like across the entire width of the recording paper and resin ribs that protrude in the direction of the non-image-forming surface side of the recording paper from the conductive member. The ribs prevent the generation of a false image resulting from contact of the recording paper with the conductive member.
With the conventional type of device described above, the guide member that is provided in the transport path between the transfer unit and fixing unit is formed so that it is curved upwards and downwards along the direction of transport of a recording medium (e.g., paper).
As a result, the distance between the conductive member and the recording paper that is passing along the transport route between the transport unit and fixing unit is not constant. Consequently, problems have occurred with the generation of false images because the potential differential between the recording paper and the conductive member varies, causing developer loss resulting from leaks or the like. For example, variation in the distance between the recording paper and the conductive member is influenced by differences in recording paper thickness, hardness and stiffness, and is also influenced by differences in recording paper transport rate.